Mom’s Southern Cornbread Dressing & Turkey – My Mom’s recipe for THE BEST turkey & dressing! It is SO easy to make and packed full of amazing flavor. Homemade cornbread, wheat bread, celery, onion, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, chicken broth, eggs, salt, pepper, and sage. Bake in the oven along with bone-in turkey for the BEST Thanksgiving dinner you will ever eat. I look forward to this meal all year long!
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Pin This RecipeSouthern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
This classic recipe is our favorite part of the holidays – my Mom’s dressing. I don’t really like turkey, but I LOVE my Mom’s dressing. It is especially good smothered with gravy! The original recipe came from my Dad’s Mom. She was a great cook and made one of my other all-time favorite meals – Chicken Tetrazzini.
My Mom has perfected the dressing recipe over the years. Chicken Legs can’t get enough of this during the holidays. He especially likes it reheated at about 10:00 pm on Thanksgiving or Christmas night. Chicken Legs swears this is the best dressing you’ll ever eat – I agree!
How to Make Mom’s Cornbread Stuffing
This casserole is very easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a very large bowl, crumble cornbread and wheat bread. Add chopped onion, chopped celery, eggs, chicken broth, water, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, salt, black pepper, and sage. Spread the cornbread mixture into a large deep baking dish or roasting pan. Top with your turkey and bake until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- I make homemade cornbread a day or two before making the dressing.
- Here is our Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe: https://www.plainchicken.com/southern-cornbread/
- I chop the onion and celery in a food processor so it is very finely chopped.
- Can sauté the vegetables in melted butter in a large skillet until tender.
- I recommend using unsalted cream of chicken and mushroom soup.
- If you don’t like cream of chicken or mushroom, you can substitute any cream of soup you prefer.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
- If the dressing starts to get too brown, cover it with aluminum foil while the turkey finishes cooking.
- Can I freeze Cornbread Dressing? Yes! Cool the dressing to room temperature. Transfer the dressing to freezer bags and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in the microwave.
- Variations/Additions:
- poultry seasoning
- parsley
- thyme
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Tips for Cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey
- We usually use a bone-in turkey breast, but this recipe also works with a regular turkey.
- You want to bake the turkey at 350ºF for about 15 minutes per pound.
- You need to check for an internal temperature of 165ºF in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
- We prefer to brine our turkey before baking. Here is our Turkey Brine Recipe: https://www.plainchicken.com/brined-thanksgiving-turkey/
What to Serve with Easy Cornbread Dressing
This is the best turkey and dressing I’ve ever eaten. This is the perfect side dish for your holiday table! We serve this with sliced turkey and all of your favorite holiday side dishes – green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, squash casserole, and warm rolls.
Here are a few of our favorite holiday recipes that go great with this turkey & stuffing:
The Best Green Beans
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Cornmeal Yeast Rolls (Easy & Delicious)
Cornmeal Yeast Rolls – two favorites in one recipe! Cornbread meets yeast rolls! SO simple to make and they taste…
Cranberry Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
Cranberry Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole – a must for your Thanksgiving dinner! Diced sweet potatoes tossed in brown sugar, orange…
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
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Southern Cornbread Dressing
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 3 (9-inch) pans cornbread
- 3 pieces wheat bread
- 1 onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 (10.5-oz) can Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 (10.5-oz) can Unsalted Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 2 (15-oz) cans chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 to 2 tsp sage to taste
- 1 ( 5-6 lb) bone-in turkey breast or turkey
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Chop onion and celery in food processor. Crumble cornbread and bread. Add remaining ingredients (except turkey). Stir well. Place dressing in turkey roasting pan, top with turkey breast.
- Cover dressing with foil (leaving turkey breast uncovered) and bake until turkey breast reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF – about 2 hours.
Notes:
- I make homemade cornbread a day or two before making the dressing.
- Here is my recipe for the BEST Southern Cornbread: https://www.plainchicken.com/southern-cornbread/
- I chop the onion and celery in a food processor so it is very finely chopped.
- If you don’t like cream of chicken or mushroom, you can substitute any cream of soup you prefer.
-
- I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken & Mushroom Soups in this dish to control the sodium.
- You can buy it by the case at Amazon:
- Cream of Chjcken: https://amzn.to/49n4uZE
- Cream of Mushroom: https://amzn.to/3SkpNVv
- Need Gluten-free soup? You can buy it here:
- Cream of Chicken: https://amzn.to/3MtqQ1s
- Cream of Mushroom: https://amzn.to/45WqyXY
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
- Substitute mushroom bouillon to make cream of mushroom soup.
- You can buy it by the case at Amazon:
- I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken & Mushroom Soups in this dish to control the sodium.
-
- We usually use a bone-in turkey breast, but this recipe also works with a regular turkey.
- You want to bake the turkey at 350ºF for about 15 minutes per pound.
- You need to check for an internal temperature of 165ºF in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
- We prefer to brine our turkey before baking. Here is our Turkey Brine Recipe: https://www.plainchicken.com/brined-thanksgiving-turkey/
Steph
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this is very yummy but i had to cook another breast alone so i could make gravy. what do you do about stock for gravy?
We buy turkey stock. Swanson has a limited edition turkey stock in the stores right now.
What can you use in place of the canned soup?
not sure, this is the way we've always made it.
Why do you add the wheat bread?
could you plz notify me by email on this comment
what if you dont want the dressing mushy but like browned on top some can you take foil off or what. Im a very new cook and not sure bout this and did you season the turkey breast?
I am SO glad to hear that Joan!
The stuffing turned out great!!! It was very moist and still had plenty of juice from the turkey. Love this recipe!
You said to use 3 pieces of wheat bread, do we cut off the sides and let it also dry out than cut it up in pieces?
We use 3 slices of bread and just tear it into pieces. You can use stale bread or fresh. Either is fine.
Did you season the turkey with anything?
Tammy – we used a 5-6 pound bone-in turkey breast.
julied – yes, bake the cornbread first and tear it up. You want to dry the white bread out a little, but not toast it. Put it in the oven for a minute or in the toaster on the lowest setting.
so you bake 2 skillets of cornbread- right? do you toast the wheat bread a little or just tear it up soft? thanks
so you bake 2 skillets of cornbread- right? do you toast the wheat bread a little or just tear it up soft? thanks
approx. how big/how much did the turkey breast weigh?
cajuncutie – You just arrange some foil around the dressing after it has cooked for a while if you see if getting too brown. The dressing and turkey are baked together.
I just want to double check the last persons comment that you agreed on:
"I pour the dressing into the pan, cover totally with foil, lay turkey breast on top of foil and bake 2 hours. Cook the DRESSING for 2 hours, too?"
So…you lay the turkey breast on top of the foil that is covering the dressing? Picture looks like it's laying on top of the dressing? If it is, do you just arrange some foil around the dressing to keep it from browning too quickly, letting only the breast to be exposed? I want mine to look as wonderful as your does in the photo!! Thanks for the help!!!
bj – yes, put everything in the oven together and let it cook for about 2 hours. Check the turkey and make sure it is done. You might have to loosely cover the dressing with foil if it gets too brown.